One quarter was all it took to prove Bengals must pay Trey Hendrickson immediately

For reasons only the Cincinnati Bengals can explain, the Trey Hendrickson contract saga still has not come to an end. The superstar defensive end wants an extension, and the Bengals want to keep him around, yet, they're refusing to meet his demands and have set a ridiculous price in trade talks. There's no reason for the Bengals, a team in a clear win-now window, to not pay arguably the best defensive lineman in the sport, and they just got yet another reason to just bite the bullet.

Just one quarter of their preseason game against the Washington Commanders, shows that the Bengals need Hendrickson.

The Bengals took a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the contest, but just four plays later, the game was tied. Jayden Daniels marched the Commanders right down the field and scored with ease. 74 yards on four plays!

Sure, Daniels is an elite quarterback so the Bengals' defense can get a slight pass, but this looked way too easy. Additionally, why couldn't they stop Josh Johnson, Washington's third stringer? Johnson needed just three plays in Washington's next drive to get the Commanders 44 yards down the field and in the end zone to give the team the lead. The Bengals got off to a quick start, but lost their lead in record time thanks to their abysmal defense.

The quarter ended and it's abundantly clear that the Bengals' defense is an unmitigated disaster. Paying Trey Hendrickson is the only way this team can be remotely competitive in 2025.

Preview of Bengals' defense without Trey Hendrickson should get extension done before start of second quarter

The Bengals allowed the eighth-most yards per game and the eighth-most points per game last season. The only reason they weren't the worst defense in the sport is because Hendrickson had a league-leading 17.5 sacks and finished as the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. Losing that kind of player results in, well, what we saw in the first quarter on Monday. Bengals fans can, and do, expect to see a lot more of this if they're unable to extend Hendrickson.

To be clear, I understand why there might be some hesitancy when it comes to an extension. The Bengals have already committed a ton of money to Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, so a massive chunk of their cap space will be occupied by four players, making it incredibly tough to build a formidable supporting cast. Additionally, Hendrickson is already 30 years old and might've already had his best season. He might be completely unusable by the end of that contract.

Still, what alternative do the Bengals have? The Bengals' offense was elite last season, ranking sixth in points per game. Despite that, they still managed to miss the playoffs because of how bad their defense was with Hendrickson. Their offense might be even better this season, but that might not even matter if they fail to extend Hendrickson.

At this point, the Bengals have no choice. Watching what their Hendrickson-less defense looks like should sound alarm bells in Cincinnati. Doing anything but pay him will throw away at least one, and potentially more seasons of Joe Burrow's prime. Hopefully, they come to their senses, but nothing about how they've handled this situation inspires much confidence in that regard.